Tahoe Sierra Century

It's hard to believe, but we started planning for this ride almost 4 months ago. In the end, 8 of us cycled in the ride and we all made it through successfully.

I signed up for the 100 miles route, but ended up turning around at the 50 mile point and ending up with a 64 mile ride. With my Europe trip starting in just 4 days, my intention had been to get in a good ride, but not push myself too hard. Mission accomplished!

The route was very well chosen. We started out heading south from Squaw to the Lake and then along the north shore of Lake Tahoe to Kings Beach. At that point, we turned back north on 267 and biked over Brockway Summit (past Northstar) and down into Truckee. Heading through Truckee, we continued north on 89 before turning into Tahoe Donner and climbing to the very top of the Tahoe Donner Ski Resort (a brutal climb). We then dropped down to Donner Lake and biked along the edge to the far end. This is where I turned around and went back to Squaw (the 100 miles route went up to Donner Summit and down the back side to Cisco Grove before heading back).

GPS Map of My 64-mile Ride

Plan for Day 21: Den Haag to Amsterdam: 38.3 miles

Day 21: Den Haag to Amsterdam

This is actually a pretty nice day. There are lots of canals around and each one seems to have a bike path, so there is really no need to bike on the road.

I'll work my way out of Den Haag to the town of Leiden. This is the spot where the Pilgrims first came from England, before being pushed out again to the New World. From Leiden, I'll head down the canals, past Schiphol Airport, into Amsterdam. I'll then have two rest days in Amsterdam before I have to get on a plane back to the US.

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Plan for Day 20: Dordrecht to Den Haag: 54.0 miles

Day 20: Dordrecht to Den Haag

The North Sea! After working through the maze that is Rotterdam Harbor, the largest in Europe, I'll make my way to Hook of Holland and the North Sea. I'll then head along the coast for a few miles before dropping slightly inland to spend the night in Den Haag (The Hague).

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Plan for Day 19: Nijmegen to Dordrecht: 69.5 miles

Day 19: Nijmegen to Dordrecht

This looks to be just an awesome day. There is a dike along the river with a path on top the entire way. Fast, easy, fun, great views. A good day for a bit of extra distance.

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Plan for Day 18: Wesel to Nijmegen: 49.7 miles

Day 18: Wesel to Nijmegen

This is where the Rhine starts to break up a bit. That'll lead to some tough routefinding and some long stretches a bit away from the river. Still, though, the trail will be mostly dirt roads and paths and I'll get some similarly long stretches along the bank.

Towards the end of the day, I'll cross over into the Netherlands and the Rhine will split. The main branch of the river will continue towards Nijmegen, though it will now be called the Waal.

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Plan for Day 17: Dusseldorf to Wesel: 47.0 miles

Day 17: Dusseldorf to Wesel

This is a day of true contrasts. Most of the day is extremely industrial, through the outskirts of Dusseldorf and the Ruhr city of Duisburg. Even with that, much of the day is still dirt paths along the river. At the end of the day, my plan is to get settled in Wesel and then head downriver a short distance to check out Xanten, a well preserved Roman settlement along the Rhine.

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Plan for Day 16: Koln to Dusseldorf: 36.9 miles

Day 16: Koln to Dusseldorf

Today is a bit of an easy day on the bike in order to spend most of the day exploring Dusseldorf. I've made some contact with the Atheros Germany office and might be able to catch up with them this evening. Whether or not that works out, Dusseldorf is one of the cultural centers of Germany and there will be plenty to occupy my time.

Amazingly, the ride is still mostly along the river and mostly on dirt roads or paths.

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Plan for Day 15: Rest Day!

Day 15: Rest Day!

This will be a relaxing day, just hanging out in Koln (Cologne) and catching up with laundry and general logistics.

Plan for Day 14: Koblenz to Koln: 64.6 miles

Day 14: Koblenz to Koln

After the two short days in the "Romantic Rhine" and with a rest day coming up, this is the perfect time for a slightly longer ride. This will likely be a pretty nice day, with the canyon still pretty dramatic and some interesting history. I'll pass through the town of Remagen, famous for its bridge that was captured by the allies before the Germans could blow it up. I'll also pass through the town of Bonn, capitol of West Germany for almost 50 years.

At the end of the day, I'll hit Koln, with its spectacular cathedral. I'll take a look around, but the majority of the Koln sightseeing will wait until the rest day.

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Plan for Day 13: Bacharach to Koblenz: 31.0 miles

Day 13: Bacharach to Koblenz

This is the second half of the "Romantic Rhine". An amazing day of biking right on the river. I'll be planning on doing several side trips up the side of the canyon throughout the day.

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Plan for Day 12: Mainz to Bacharach: 30.7 miles

Day 12: Mainz to Bacharach

This is a short day, but the plan is to take a lot of side trips throughout the day. I'll be entering the "Romantic Rhine", the section where the Rhine valley narrows down to not much wider than the river, with steep terraced vineyards on both sides and castles all along the crest. Since any side trip will be *up*, I figured a short day would probably be a good idea.

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Plan for Day 11: Mannheim to Mainz: 47.9 miles

Day 11: Mannheim to Mainz

Finally, the Rhine returns to a single channel with no side lakes, meaning I can actually bike along the bank again. With the Rhine now a full size river with lots of barge and tourist traffic, this should be a very fun day of cycling.

The route takes me past the city of Worms where the famous Diet of Worms took place in 1521. This is where Martin Luther petitioned the Holy Roman Empire to allow him to continue preaching. The response, the Edict of Worms, outlawed Lutheranism in the Holy Roman Empire and forced Luther into hiding.

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Plan for Day 10: Karlsruhe to Mannheim: 56.8 miles

Day 10: Karlsruhe to Mannheim

A day very similar to the previous one. The Rhine meanders a lot in this region, which will lead to some difficult route finding.

Starting from Karlsruhe, I'll cross over to the left bank and head up to Speyer. The Speyer Cathedral was famous in the middle ages and hosted one of the famous Diets of the Holy Roman Empire in the early days of Martin Luther. I'll continue on to the city of Mannheim, likely reaching it sometime in mid afternoon. That should give some time to explore the old city and the castle.

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Plan for Day 9: Kehl to Karlsruhe: 56.3 miles

Day 9: Kehl to Karlsruhe

This day is quite a bit different than my original plan. There just aren't any towns right on the Rhine in this section. Originally that had pushed me towards going all the way to Speyer, about 80 miles. That now seems a bit long, so I've decided to stay away from the Rhine for one night and bike into downtown Karlsruhe.

The shorter distance will now give me time to check out the early modern castle in Rastatt for lunch and then explore the castle in Karlsruhe in the evening.

Even thought the routefinding for this section is actually quite difficult, I've dropped the detailed instructions. I have 2 or 3 books and maps for this section, so I don't really need the text backup.

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Plan for Day 8: Rest Day!

Day 8: Rest Day!

Today is a chance to get the clothes clean and to relax in a cafe in Strasbourg. The bike will be in storage at the hotel in Kehl. All transport around Strasbourg will be on foot and by public transportation.

Plan for Day 7: Breisach to Kehl: 50.0 miles

Day 7: Breisach to Kehl (map included at the end)

Similar to Day 5, this is a fast day along the river. Unlike Day 5, though, this is a bit longer, so I'll probably need to pack a lunch from the hotel. Still, I'd hope to get into Kehl relatively early in the afternoon and start getting settled in for the rest day (laundry, etc).

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*) Stay on the right bank.

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Plan for Day 6: La Route des Vins du Alsace

Day 6: La Route des Vins du Alsace

A true vacation day! Biking around through vineyards during harvest time. No plan. Will play it by ear and follow recommendations from the hotel and local tourist information centers.

Plan for Day 5: Basel to Breisach: 39.3 miles

Day 5: Basel to Breisach (map included at the end)

A very short day. Actually, a very fast short day. The trail stays on the right bank of the Rhine all the way from Basel to Breisach with almost no interruptions. The goal will be to do basically the entire ride before lunch, grab some food in Breisach, and then spend the afternoon exploring the area. The most likely excursion would be a sidetrip up to Freiburg to check out the cathedral (and the vineyards along the way).

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*) Stay on the right bank. It really is that simple.

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Plan for Day 4: Brugg to Basel: 53.4 miles

Day 4: Brugg to Basel (map included at the end)

This day is a bit of a transition. In the morning, I continue down the final stretch of the Aare to Koblenz and the Aare-Rhine confluence. Continuing down the Rhine, I almost immediately pass a huge nuclear power plant right on the river. Past that, the day continues as a mix of rural and industrial down into Basel.

There are two tourist spots near the end of the day that I'll want to hit. First is the Feldschlossen Brewery in Rheinfelden. Feldschlossen is sort of the national beer for Switzerland and the brewery is in a large castle. Definitely worth a stop. The second spot is Augusta Raurica, an old roman ruin just a bit further down the river.

Once I get into Basel, I'll be staying at the Hotel Spalentor right in the downtown area. The plan will be to get into Basel in the early to mid afternoon and have plenty of time to wander back and forth across the river and check out the old city and the cathedral.

----------------------------------------

*) From the train station make your way north towards the old bridge
over the river. Cross the river and turn right on the main street on
the far side.

*) Take the right fork at a Y intersection and continue along the left
bank of the river. Continue on the road as it moves slightly inland.
Stay right at the next Y intersection near a sports complex.

*) Stay on this road as the river curves to the north. When you road
that just came over a bridge, turn left on the road, which then turns
to the north.

*) After a short distance, turn right onto a path by the river.

*) Stay on the path for a short distance before merging back onto the
road.

*) Stay on the road until you hit an intersection where the road
crosses a bridge to the right. Turn left on the road.

*) Stay on the road as it moves inland, through a small town, and then
back to the river. After a little bit, the river will turn left to
the NW and the road will as well. Right at the point where the road
starts moving to the left, turn forward right onto a side road towards
the river.

*) When the road reaches a dam/lock over the river, turn left onto a
path instead of crossing over.

*) Stay on the path for several miles until you hit a bridge crossing
over to the town of Dottingen. Cross over the bridge and make an
immediate left onto the right bank.

*) Stay on the path until you hit the next dam/lock. Turn right
(inland) on the road.

*) Take the first left onto the main road.

*) After passing the Koblenz train station, take a left over the Aare.
Turn right on the first street after the bridge.

*) Turn right, towards the river, on the first road/path.

*) Follow the path to the river and turn left, following the left bank
of the Rhine.

*) Stay as close as possible to the left bank for several miles. When
you hit the bridge in the town of Laufenburg, cross over and make an
immediate left along the right bank.

*) Move left up to the main road (Highway 34). Continue on this for a
short distance. The road will move slightly away from the river and
then slightly back. As it is moving back, take the first forward left
towards the river. Cross over the tracks and continue right along the
right bank.

*) Continue along the right bank for several miles until the river
turns south in the town of Bad Sackingen. Cross over on the bridge
and make an immediate right along the left bank.

*) Stay as close to the left bank as possible for the next several
miles. As the river turns north at one point, the trail will
disappear and you'll be forced to move inland. Stay on the main road.
Once you start entering the town of Rhinefelden, turn right towards
the river.

*) Stay as close to the left bank as possible through Rhinefelden and
on into Basel. As you get closer to Basel, stay on the main road and
work your way towards the Cathedral or the Spalentor Gate. The hotel
is near the gate.

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Plan for Day 3: Solothurn to Brugg: 49.4 miles

Day 3: Solothurn to Brugg (map included at end)

My original intention had been to go all the way to the Rhine on day 3. It turned out, though, that this day is a bit tougher than I thought. That, plus the fact that there aren't any good hotels at the Aare-Rhine confluence meant that it made more sense to stop a bit earlier.

The day starts on dirt paths along the river and pretty much continues in that vein for the rest of the day. There are a bunch of small towns (Wangen an der Aare, Olten, and the final town of Brugg) and one semi-major town (Aarau) along the way. Most of the towns have historic old sections, which could make for some good sightseeing. Brugg is the ancestral home of the Hapsburgs and contains their first castle, from around 1000AD, long before they moved into Austria and founded the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Overall, I expect this day to feel like a true vacation. No major things to check off, just a bike along the river, stopping in cool villages whenever the mood strikes. I don't plan on making reservations at a hotel here before hand, though I've found two near the train station that would be ok.

---------------------------------

*) Leave hotel and turn left. Continue down to the shore of the river
and continue along the shore. After the large bridge, there might be
a one-way section that will force you inland one block for a short
distance. As the river turns to the left, there will start to be a
path along the river. Drop down to the path as soon as possible.

*) Follow the path for a couple miles until a large tributary comes in
from the right. Turn up the tributary.

*) Follow the tributary to the first bridge and work your a way
across. On the far side, find a way back down to the shore. This
might require a loop to the right.

*) Follow the right shore of the tributary back down to the AAre and
continue downstream on the right bank. Continue on the right bank for
several miles, passing through the town of Wangen on der Aare. At the
first bridge after Wangen an der Aare, it will likely be necessary to
drop back inland to the road.

*) Continue along roads and paths along the right bank until the river
makes a sharp turn to the north. At this point, cross over a bridge
to the left bank.

*) Follow the road forward right from the bridge. As it merges into a
road (also forward right), continue. At a U-turn, continue straight
instead.

*) Continue straight on road and path until you get back to the river.
Continue along the left bank. After the bridge across to Aarwangen,
continue on the road as it goes slightly inland. Take the first
right.

*) Stay straight on the road as it heads back to the left bank.

*) Keep right on several roads though a small town. Cross over the
next bridge into the town of Murgenthal.

*) Continue across the bridge to the main street. Turn left.

*) Continue on the main street (Highway 1) into the town of Dietwart.
Continue through town. As the road moves to the right away from the
train tracks, take a forward left onto another main road.

*) Continue through 4 roundabouts and over the main freeway. Take the
first forward left after the last roundabout.

*) Continue on this road into downtown Aarberg (possible lunch stop).
Turn left towards the river and cross over the one bridge. After the
bridge, turn right onto the path along the left bank.

*) Stay on the path as you make your way into Olten. Cross over the
train tracks and then a small tributary, before crossing over the
river in the old bridge. Turn left on the far side and continue down
the right bank.

*) Continue on the road on the right bank as you leave town. Turn off
onto a path along the right bank when the road crosses over the river.

*) Cross over a dam/lock onto an island in the split river. Continue
along the right bank of the canal.

*) Continue along the canal, past a wooden bridge, until the end of
the island. Cross over a bridge back to the left bank. Immediately
turn right and continue down the left bank.

*) Stay right on path/road until the next dam/lock. Cross over the
canal onto the island and continue down the right bank of the canal.

*) Continue to the end of the island and cross back over to the left
bank. Turn right on the far side.

*) Take the first right back towards a bridge. Turn left to stay on
the left bank.

*) Stay on the left bank for the next several miles. On the approach
into Brugg, you'll be forced onto a main road, before crossing over
into town. Follow signs to the train station.

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Plan for Day 2: Bern to Solothurn: 56.7 miles

Day 2: Bern to Solothurn (map included at the end)

The morning of Day 2 follows the Aare as it slowly loops around north of Bern. This should be quite a nice lazy morning, as the path by the river is very nice. As the river leaves the suburbs of Bern, I'll leave the easy intro to the trip and start the real trip down towards the North Sea.

The route will first move along the edge of the Lake Wohlen Reservoir west of Bern, before dropping down to the the city of Aarberg, a likely lunch spot. From there, the Aare turns into the Aare-Hagneck Canal, which takes the river down into Lake Biel. The route then goes along the edge of Lake Biel, almost to the city of Biel, where the Aare leaves the lake in a second canal.

Following the second canal, I'll head down to the city of Buren an der Aare. This is where the valley of the historic Aare (which bypassed Lake Biel) joins the canalized version and the river turns back into a river. From here, the ride goes along lazy farm roads (often dirt) down the river to Solothurn.

Solothurn is an old city, capitol of the Solothurn Canton, and is known as the most beautiful Baroque city in Switzerland. I'll be staying in the Swiss Quality Hotel, which is right on the river in the center of town. I should arrive in the mid-afternoon and have some time to explore the city.

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*) Bike down the street in front of the hotel towards the plaza (less
than 1 block away).

*) Bike diagonally across the plaza and leave going in the same
direction out of the opposite corner.

*) Continue in front of the government buildings and take the first
right turn down the hill.

*) Continue as the road loops around to the right. Take the first
left.

*) Continue as the road jogs left through a plaza. Continue across
the traffic circle and across the bridge. Turn left immediately after
the bridge and follow the right bank.

*) Continue along the right bank all the way around the peninsula.
Continue as the river turns north. Cross underneath the railroad
tracks. Continue until the river starts to make a slight turn to the
right. Cross over a bridge to the left bank.

*) Continue downstream along the left bank around a peninsula. There
doesn't look to be a path right along the river the entire way, but
there should be signs. If not, just stay as far right as possible and
backtrack if necessary. Cross over at the first bridge, which looks
like a busy road/rail bridge, but supposedly has a pedestrian
crossing.

*) Continue along the right bank north and then around a northern
peninsula as the road/trail loops around to the south. When the river
turns left, you might be forced up on to roads. If so, continue
south, as there is a very narrow isthmus. When you hit the right bank
bank, continue right/downstream. Continue south around a southern
peninsula. Continue along the right bank as the river turns west.
After the road/path crosses under a bridge, the path will slightly
leave the river and join a more major road. Continue downstream down
the road.

*) Continue along the road until it turn slightly away from the
widening river and enters a settled area. Take the first left back
towards the river/lake.

*) Continue along the river past another souther peninsula. As the
river goes north, take the first road right.

*) Take the road for a short distance until it hits the main road.
Turn left (north).

*) Follow the road north for a short distance until it hits a T
intersection. Turn left.

*) Follow the road for a short distance and take a forward left back
towards the river/lake.

*) Follow the road along the lake until it moves back inland and hits
the main road. Turn left.

*) Continue along the lake for some distance, until the road moves
inland and hits a small cluster of houses. Turn left.

*) Continue along the lake, moving inland as necessary to avoid
obstacles, until you hit the dam/lock at the exit of the lake. Cross
over.

*) If possible, bike along the left bank of the river until you hit a
bridge. If that is closed off as part of the power plant, continue on
the road, staying as far right as possible. This should take you
straight to the bridge. Turn right immediately after the bridge and
go backwards (upstream).

*) Take the first left.

*) Take the first left.

*) Make a switchback back to the right uphill.

*) Continue on the road until you cross under power lines and hit an
intersection with some buildings. Turn back left.

*) Continue through a town, staying as right as possible. This will
leave you on a road going north out of town.

*) This road will sweep you down towards the river and into a second
town. Turn left in the town back towards the river.

*) Stay on this road for over a mile as it takes you along the river.
Eventually, it will hit a bridge over the river. Take the bridge and
turn right on the far side.

*) Continue along the road as it leaves the river, heads through a
small town, and turns north. At the end of the town, there will be a
Y intersection and turn right.

*) Continue to the next intersection and loop around to the next road
to the right heading in the opposite direction.

*) Continue on this road until it hits the river. Turn back to the
left.

*) Continue along the river until the next bridge. Take it across the
river and turn left on the far side.

*) Continue along the right bank for some distance. You will enter
the town of Aarberg, with the city center off to the right. This
could be a good spot for lunch.

*) Contineu through Aarberg, staying on the right bank. The river
will turn into a canal at this point and run almost directly west.
After it turns slightly north, you'll hit a main road. Take a right.

*) Take the first left.

*) Follow the road until it hits the lock where the Aare dumps into
Lake Biel. There should be a path leading off to the right along the
shore next to the trees. Take this, if possible. Otherwise backtrack
to the main road.

*) In general, stay as far left as possible and as close to the lake
as possible for the next several miles. Eventually, you'll hit the
Aare outlet canal. Turn right.

*) You will basically stay along the right side of the Aare from here
all the way to Solothurn. As you get closer to Solothurn, there will
be a couple northern peninsulas that will require turning slightly
inland. As leave the second one, you'll hit a main road, which will
parallel the river and take you in to Solothurn. As you enter the
city, the road will turn right away from the river. Follow the road
under a set of railroad tracks and then turn left at the major
intersection.

*) Follow the road around a plaza and turn right towards a bridge at
the far corner of the plaza.

*) Turn left just before the bridge. The hotel will be on the right
next to the river.

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Plan for Day 1: Wengen to Bern: 49.8 miles

I've decided to post my notes for each stage here on the blog for reference. Here is the first stage:

Day 1: Wengen to Bern (map included at the end)

This stage starts in the car-free town of Wengen, where my Mom and her husband Vaughn have a Chalet. The first section is a very steep downhill (20% grade) on a hiking/biking path down to Lauterbrunnen. From there, I follow the river down the valley to where it drops into Lake Brienz near Interlaken. I then follow the shoreline of Lake Brienz to where the Aare River starts down towards Lake Thun (the two lakes of Interlaken).

After following the Aare to Lake Thun, I continue for 15 miles along the north shore of Lake Thun from Interlaken to Thun. There are a couple castles along the shore, but they won't be open in the morning. Still probably worth a stop to take some pictures of the castles by the lake.

Once I get to Thun, I cross over the river and head towards Schadau Park, which is where the Aare River starts up again as the outlet of Lake Thun. The plan is to probably have a picnic lunch here after grabbing something at the train station. I then work my way back through town to the right hand side (when facing downstream) of the Aare River. There is a trail along the river for all of the next 20 miles into Bern.

I'm really looking forward to this section, as the trail by the river will change from a paved bike path to an unpaved path to a single-track trail over the course of the trip. There are likely some places where I'll need to walk the bike.

Once I hit Bern, it is a pretty short trip up to the Best Western where I am staying the first night. It is a bit expensive, but I think I want something easy for the first night on the road. After I get settled in the hotel, I'll head out to explore the sights of Bern (Swiss Government, Cathedral, Einstein House, etc).

Below, I've posted the directions I'll carry on the bike and the map I'll have downloaded to my GPS:

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*) Leave Chalet (left)

*) Uphill. Continue left to main street. Turn right.

*) Follow main road. Continue past turnoff on right towards station.
Cross over tracks. Take first right after tracks.

*) Continue for short distance, then turn right downhill towards woods.

*) Continue downhill on steep switchbacks for some distance. Cross
over railroad tracks. Turn left on first road after tracks.

*) Continue to end of road and turn left at T intersection.

*) Cross over tracks again and move down towards river. Turn right
onto bridge over river.

*) Stay on road as it heads first south and then makes a U-turn
towards the north. Continue north past the train station. Continue
north out of town along the river. Continue on road (stay left) at
Zweilutschinen. Road moves away from river on approach to Interlaken.
Go across tributary and take first right onto a residential street.

*) Follow street as it loops to the left. Turn right back onto main
street.

*) Continue on road towards train tracks. If possible, cross over
train tracks on side road when road turns left (*A). Otherwise,
continue left (*B).

*A) Continue straight after tracks. Pass road to the right that goes
over bridge. Take next right towards left back of river.

*B) Continue along as road curves to the right in front of the train
station. Take first right across tracks and back towards the SE.

*B) Continue on road through parking lot to first left towards river.

*) Continue along left bank of river for considerable distance. Pass
airport off to the left. Turn right when road hits T intersection.

*) Turn left before bridge over river.

*) Continue along left bank of river until it ends at the Brienzer
See.

*) Turn around and try to follow the edge of the Brienzer See around
to the NW (*A). Return back on same road if not successfull (*B).

*A) Continue around the Brienzer See until the start of the Aare
River. If possible, continue along the bank of the Aare and
underneath the railroad tracks (*AA). Otherwise, back off slightly
and turn left onto road or path.

*AB) Continue on road/path left and then right before it hits a road.
Turn right.

*AB) Follow the road as it wraps around a house and crosses under the
train tracks. Continue until the road is going along the bank of the
river. Turn left along the river.

*B) Continue on road back to the bridge and turn right (away from the
river).

*B) Take first forward right over the tracks.

*B) Follow the road as it wraps around a house and crosses under the
train tracks. Continue until the road is going along the bank of the
river. Turn left along the river.

*) Continue along left bank. Pass under freeway bridge across river.
Take first forward left after bridge.

*) Take forward right at T intersection.

*) Continue with train station on left. Merge forward right onto main
road at T intersection.

*) Continue on main road past main road to the right over river.
Continue past slight jog to the left. Take right on first major
street. Should see river (with bridge) in the distance down road.

*) Continue down road to the river. Cross over river on bridge and
immediately turn left along the bank.

*) Continue along right bank as river turns slightly left (south).
Continue past river split and then turn left over bridge.

*) Cross over island and over second bridge. Take first right after
second bridge.

*) Road will hit a major street that crosses over the river (there
might be an underpass). Make your way across the street and over to
the left bank of the river.

*) Continue along with the river on your right until you start to see
the canal on your left. Follow the right bank of the canel. At Y
fork, turn left along right bank of canal.

*) Continue along right bank of canal. Go under freeway bridge. At
some point, cross over island to left bank of river. Continue along
left bank of river until the end.

*) Backtrack along left bank of river until you hit a bridge. If
possible, go over bridge (*A). If not, continue back underneath the
freeway bridge and continue back until canal makes slight turn to the
left. At that point, make rear left turn back down island (*B).

*A) Continue as road arcs to the right. If possible, take a left back
towards the See (*AA). If not, continue underneath freeway and take
first forward left (*AB).

*AA) Continue along edge of Thuner See. Will hit harbor with boats.
At this point, work your way north (away from the See) and find a way
onto the main road going West (left).

*AB) Take first left back towards freeway.

*AB) Follow road as it turns right and becomes a frontage road next to
freeway. Take second forward right turn.

*AB) Turn left onto main road.

*AB) Merge right from main road onto freeway.

*B) Follow road as it turns right and hits left bank of river. Turn
right along left bank.

*B) Turn left onto bridge over river.

*B) Immediately turn right along right bank of river.

*B) Take first forward left.

*B) Take first rear left.

*B) Follow street across one street until it hits freeway and turns
right as a frontage road. Take second forward right after freeway.

*B) Turn left onto main road.

*B) Merge right from main road onto freeway.

*) Follow road all along north shore of Thuner See. Follow signs to
Schloss Oberhofen and Schloss Hunegg.

*) On approach into Thun, road will turn away from the See. Take
first left back towards the See.

*) Take right and end of road.

*) Take first left towards Hunibach Ferry.

*) Turn right at Thuner See and continue along shore. Contiue for
some distance along Thuner See and Aare River until river splits.
Turn left over bridge.

*) Continue over second bridge (covered). Turn left along left shore
of Aare.

*) Make first right turn towards Thun Ferry.

*) Make left turn in front of train station.

*) Continue along left shore of canal until park at start of Aare and
Schloss Schadau.

*) Backtrack along the left shore of the canal back to the train
station. Continue past the train station as the road turns to the
right towards a large traffic circle. Continue across the traffic
circle to the bridge and a across the bridge. Turn left at the first
junction across the bridge.

*) Continue to a large open area and cross over to the far side of the
island between the two bridges. Walk around here and take pictures.
Eventually end up on the other side of the non-covered bridge.

*) Make a left and follow the right bank of the river down to the next
bridge. Continue past the bridge before turning right towards the
Rathausplatz Plaza.

*) Continue out the center of the plaza on the downstream side.
Follow the road past two roads, each with bridges on the left. When
the main road branches to the right, keep left (straight).

*) Continue along the river, keeping to the bank whenever possible.
Merge onto a road as it parallels the river, just before the train
tracks.

*) Cross the train tracks on the road and then stay on the right bank
when the road crosses over the river.

*) Stay on the road/path for several miles, basically all the way to
Bern. There will be some sections that are trail and might need to be
walked. You should be able to stay right on the bank (definitely
between the freeway and the river) the entire distance. Follow signs
for Aareweg or Aareuferweg. On the entrance into Central Bern, just
before the river turns to the right, turn left over a bridge.

*) Continue forward right across the traffic circle. Take a slight
jog to the right uphill until you hit a road heading up to the right.
Turn right.

*) Follow the road as it curves to the left. Take the second left
(first legal left).

*) Continue in front of the Bundeshaus. Hotel Best Western Baeren is
in the next block.

--------------------------------------------

Maps and Directions

How am I going to find my way on the bike?

It is easy here, at home, to figure out a basic route using Google Maps, especially the satellite images. I can download this route to my GPS, but how will I actually use it?

On the bike, I won't have access to satellite images. I'll have paper maps for a lot of things, but they aren't that detailed. I'll have the GPS, but that map is very small and won't have a lot of the bike paths.

Thinking this through, I've come up with the idea of mainly documenting the route using a series of text "decision points". These are basic instructions that I can use on the bike (take the road towards the river and then turn left onto the bank, if possible). For the most part, they'll allow me to figure out what I need to do without a map, leaving the actual maps for other things that come up (food, restrooms, hotels, etc).

My goal is to stay as close to the river as possible, which makes the route finding a bit more complex than for a normal trip. In a lot of cases, I can see a path along the edge of the river, but, of course, I can't tell if it is paved and I definitely can't tell if it is private or public. As a result, my route tends to consist of a river option (where possible) and a fallback road option. This is the main reason that I can't just rely on the GPS, as I will need to make this decision (river or road) constantly.

Now I just need to find a good map holder for my bike, so I can keep the "decision point" list in front of me at all times...

Schedule!

My plans for Germany have started to settle a bit. I bought my airline tickets, finally, and I now have a pretty good idea of my itinerary:

9/30 - Leave SFO.
10/1 - Arrive Wengen, Switzerland.
10/1 to 10/4 - Hang out with family in Switzerland.

10/5 - Day 1 - Wengen, Switzerland to Bern, Switzerland (following the Aare)
10/6 - Day 2 - Bern, Switzerland to Solothurn, Switzerland (following the Aare)
10/7 - Day 3 - Solothurn, Switzerland to Waldshut, Germany (following the Aare)
10/8 - Day 4 - Waldshut, Germany to Basel, Switzerland (following the Rhine)
10/9 - Day 5 - Basel, Switzerland to Breisach, Germany (following the Rhine)
10/10 - Day 6 - Breisach, Germany to Breisach, Germany (side trip: Colmar, Selestat, Alsace Wine Route)
10/11 - Day 7 - Breisach, Germany to Kehl, Germany (following the Rhine)
10/12 - Day 8 - Kehl, Germany to Kehl, Germany (rest day in Strasbourg, France)
10/13 - Day 9 - Kehl, Germany to Speyer, Germany (following the Rhine)
10/14 - Day 10 - Speyer, Germany to Speyer, Germany (side trip: Heidelberg)
10/15 - Day 11 - Speyer, Germany to Mainz, Germany (following the Rhine)
10/16 - Day 12 - Mainz, Germany to Bacharach, Germany (following the Rhine)
10/17 - Day 13 - Bacharach, Germany to Koblenz, Germany (following the Rhine)
10/18 - Day 14 - Koblenz, Germany to Bonn, Germany (following the Rhine)
10/19 - Day 15 - Bonn, Germany to Koln (Cologne), Germany (following the Rhine)
10/20 - Day 16 - Koln, Germany to Dusseldorf, Germany (following the Rhine)
10/21 - Day 17 - Dusseldorf, Germany to Dusseldorf, Germany (rest day)
10/22 - Day 18 - Dusseldorf, Germany to Wesel, Germany (following the Rhine)
10/23 - Day 19 - Wesel, Germany to Nijmegen, Netherlands (following the Rhine/Waal)
10/24 - Day 20 - Nijmegen, Netherlands to Dordrecht, Netherlands (following the Waal)
10/25 - Day 21 - Dordrecht, Netherlands to Den Haag, Netherlands (following the Waal and the North Sea)
10/26 - Day 22 - Den Haag, Netherlands to Amsterdam, Netherlands (following the North Sea)

10/27 - Rest day in Amsterdam
10/28 - Return to SFO.

The next big purchase decision is the bike box for air travel. I will likely head down to New Mexico in early September and I'd like to try out the setup, so I need to get something figured out this week.

First Real Training Ride - 93 miles

I've been planning to do a real training ride for the last few weeks, but things kept getting in the way. Even though I slept in until 9am and didn't get started until 11am, I decided I wouldn't let that stop me. :-)

I biked down the Los Gatos Creek Trail to Los Gatos, grabbed some breakfast, continued up the trail to Lexington Reservoir, looped around the reservoir, headed up Old Santa Cruz Highway to Summit Rd, grabbed some snacks at the Summit Store, headed down Soquel San Jose Rd to Soquel, crossed over Highway 1 and grabbed some lunch down by the beach at Capitola, headed back over to Aptos, went across the fields to Mt. Madonna Rd (towards Gilroy), headed up Mt. Madonna (very very steep), headed down the other side (dirt), came back up along the Uvas, Chesbro, and Calero Reservoirs down into Almaden, grabbed a sandwich at Togo's (just barely made the 9pm closing) at Almaden and Camden, headed up Meridian to Willow Glen and home. The MapMyRide tool says 87 miles, though I made the route before I left and I deviated from it a bit, leaving the total on the ride computer at 93 miles. I think the MayMyRide elevation gain of 4250 feet is pretty accurate.

The bike worked great and I was very glad I'd bought both front and rear lights yesterday. A good pair of cycling shorts and cycling socks made things relatively comfortable, though I definitely noticed the time in the saddle. I don't think I want to do too many days this long in Europe. I had switched back to the stock tires and they were awesome! No flats and they handled the dirt on Mt. Madonna with no problem.

Map below:

La Route des Vins d'Alsace

For most of the trip, I want to stay as close to the river as possible. From Interlaken to Koblenz in Switzerland I'll be on the Aare River and from then on I'll be on the Rhine. For the vast majority of the trip, there are cities, castles, bridges, etc, along the river so there is no need to stray. For two sections, though, the river itself is quite boring. The section between Basel and Speyer along the French/German border and the later sections in the Netherlands. In both cases, the river has been channeled for barge traffic, which takes away much of the character of the river and the surrounding towns.

Between Basel and Strasbourg, I'm thinking of leaving the river and biking along La Route des Vins d'Alsace or The Alsace Wine Route. The vineyards should be beautiful in the fall and the rolling hills along the edge of the Vosges Mountains will be much more interesting than the Grand Canal d'Alsace (aka The Rhine).

The Wikipedia Page has a bunch of info on the wine and the region.

Germany in Autumn

I'm seriously excited. I picked October for the Germany trip mainly to give myself enough time for training and to avoid the summer crowds. I didn't even think about the trees. A bit of flickr searching, though, shows October to be a pretty ideal time to be on the Rhine. A few pics below as examples:

Rhine near Koblenz
Rhine near Basel

The other thing I've learned is that the average high in Germany in October is 57F. I'm going to need lots of layers.

25 down (14 today) and 9 to go

My goal for today was to test my endurance on the bike. Get out around 8:30 and come back around 7:30 and stay on the saddle for as much of the time in between as possible. The bike worked out great and I felt good all the way through, though I did stop for ice cream a few more times than I had planned. :-)

I'd already knocked off the Downtown and North-side Fire Stations, so today I focused on the East Side and South-East (Evergreen) areas. I ended up getting 14, over about 60 miles and around 5 hours of actual riding, not counting time stopped at lights or inside a cool restaurant eating breakfast/lunch/ice cream. The best part was the climb up to Communications Hill, a strange hill right in the middle of the valley (you pass through the two parts of it on 87 between 85 and Downtown). I was also very impressed with the East Side Farmers' Market at James Lick High School. One of the best ones I've seen and far far better than Willow Glen.

The 9 remaining Fire Stations are all in either Almaden or on the West-side (at least west of Willow Glen). It'll likely take another 40-50 mile ride to finish the list.

Pictures at:

Phanfare

Route:

Livestrong San Jose

Today, I rode the 50 mile course of the Livestrong San Jose event. I've included a map of the course below. It was quite a good route and extremely well run, so it made for a good ride.

There were over 3000 cyclists and the first 10 miles of the course were blocked off from auto traffic. It was quite amazing. I'd originally signed up for the 65 mile course, but I had so much fun racing down the middle of the road, that I forgot to pace myself. My average speed for the first 10 miles was close to 20 miles per hour, which is way over my average and too much for first thing in the morning before breakfast. It was the right call to switch to the 50 mile course, but I probably could have done the 65. I was feeling much better after 40 miles and two rest stops with food than I did after 10 miles with an empty stomach.

Sierra Road

I'd heard about Sierra Road for a long time, at least since the first Tour of California, but I'd never actually tried riding it before. On Sunday, I decided to give it a shot.

I've included a copy of the route below. The road is a bit steeper than Page Mill and basically takes you from the valley to the top of the ridge, at a very similar height to Mission Peak. It is a great road the whole way, much better than Page Mill or Old La Honda. It is mostly exposed, though, so, while it was great on a late summer evening, the peninsula roads would probably be better during the heat of the day.

Very highly recommended.



BTW, the MapMyRide elevation button actually does work now and will give you a reasonably good graph of the elevation gain/loss.

Flat #3

Rode down the Guadalupe River Trail to grab some dinner and then headed north for a short ride. Cut short, though, by my third flat in less than 500 miles. Grrr. This time I found a short thorn/nail in the tire, so at least the cause was obvious. Due to lots of practice, replacing the punctured tube with a spare was no problem.

A heavy duty touring tire (like this) is starting to sound like a good idea.

Misdirection

Ok, that wasn't quite what I had planned.

This morning, my wonderful niece Mira (almost 3) was part of a ballet recital at Skyline High in Oakland. Since I wanted to see her perform and I wanted to get in a good bike ride, I figured I'd just bike to Skyline High. Well, not quite. The Amtrak train between San Jose and Oakland starts about a mile from my house, so I could take the train to the Coliseum stop and then bike from there up to Skyline High. Afterwards, I could drop down the eastern side of the Oakland Hills and do the "3 Bears" ride.

The train/ride up to Skyline went great (and Mira was great!). Afterwards, though, I got a bit lost. Instead of turning towards Moraga/Orinda and the 3 Bears, I accidentally kept heading south, until I popped out in Castro Valley. At that point, I figured my original plans were shot, so I made the best of it and biked down Palomares Road (wonderful ride) to Niles Canyon and then down into Fremont, where I caught the train back to San Jose. Not a bad ride and I was even able to do a bit of wine tasting along Palomares Road.

The total ride was around 40 miles, including the home to train station segment. Map included below:

Ouch

Watch out for those potholes...

San Jose Fire Stations

This evening I started an on-going quest to visit all 34 of the San Jose Fire Stations (map here). Figured it would be a good way to get some miles on the bike and also learn about my new home town.

Pictures to be posted here.

I visited the first three on a short ride this evening (map here). I'd visited part of the route before, but never the section past 17th street. San Jose is a *big* city. Lots of areas that are completely off the map for most of us Silicon Valley types. The highlight of the ride today was seeing an old Vietnamese lady walking back from the store with her walker/cart full of produce and wearing one of those stereotypical cone hats. It seemed weird to see the hat worn in a non-ironic way, though these days its hard to know. Even if she's 80 years old, she's probably aware of the symbolism and just likes to wear it anyway. :-)

Problems Solved

I found the cause of the noise in the rear hub. Turned out that the "pie plate" had worked its way loose. Once I got all 3 plastic hooks reconnected to the hub, the noise was gone.

In the mean time, I fixed the rear flat. Looks like a small hole in the tube that would be easily patchable, though I just replaced it anyway. No idea on the cause, which leaves me a bit concerned for the future...

Bike Care

I'm starting to get to know my bike and learn the various sounds and vibrations that are expected. And, the ones that are unexpected. Right now, it seems like something on the rear hub is rubbing and needs to get fixed. I'm actually looking forward to playing with it this weekend and seeing if I can diagnose and fix it myself. Might even be a good excuse to buy a bike stand. :-)

Yesterday, the rear tire sprung a slow leak. I got to play with my small hand pump as I was leaving the office, which worked great. I was able to get it up to around 60psi and get it home without any trouble. Of course, it was completely flat this morning, so I'll likely drive in to the office today and work on it tonight/tomorrow.

Since most of my commute is on gravel, the bike gets really dirty. I'm starting to research how much I need to clean it in order to keep things running smoothly.

Learning a bit each day...

Week 1 - 139 miles

I didn't really have a target this week, but I'm pretty happy with 139 miles. The commute is about 22 miles round-trip and I did that for 3 days. In addition, I rode about 30 miles on Saturday and close to 40 miles today, in both cases around the urban South Bay (San Jose <-> Mt. View/Los Altos). I'll be away for Memorial Day next weekend, so I'm guessing this coming week will be around 90 miles or so.

Cycle Computer

I got a cheap Planet Bike Protege bike computer last week and put it on the bike last night. It works good and definitely pushed me a bit harder today on the ride into work.

My dream setup for Germany, though, is the following from Garmin:



Garmin Edge 705

Drool. Of course, I'd also need to get the Germany-Switzerland and the France-Netherlands SD Cards.

- Dave

Bike to Work Day

Fixed the flat without much trouble and biked into the office (map below).

Bike Rack

Shoving the bike into the back of my car on the way back from the bike shop was one time too many.  :-)   

First Ride with New Bike!

I picked up a new Trek 520 at Bicycle Outfitters this morning. The 520 was basically my dream bike for the Germany trip, but I was a bit concerned about it as a commute/road bike. I hadn't even left the parking lot on the test ride, though, before I was hooked. I guess I learned cycling on touring bikes and it just feels natural. Much lighter than I expected as well.

Took it on a quick local spin (map included below) and it worked great! That is until I tried crossing 101 on Tully and found the entire shoulder/bike path covered in glass. Sigh. Rear tire immediately blew. No spare. No patch kit. Walked part of the way back and then took bus/light rail home. Guess I better be a bit more prepared next time, even for a quick spin.